Traditional devices and methods may be configured to achieve fixation along a straight line, for example utilizing straight screws, pins, plates, and rods. In many procedures, these devices primarily purchase harder cortical bone and sometimes cancellous bone. Fractures, especially at or near a joint, may include fragments, for example smaller bone fragments and/or soft tissues attached to the bone fragments. The soft tissues connected to the bone fragments may be necessary for blood flow to these bone fragments but are traditionally not addressed. Detaching the soft tissues from the bone fragments may, for example, weaken the muscular attachments and/or devascularize the bone fragments. Traditional techniques lead to further deterioration of tissues surrounding the fracture.
Also, traditional devices may include implants that are designed to stabilize a larger portion of a fracture but may have difficulty securing soft tissue fragments (i.e. connective tissues) and/or hard tissue fragments (i.e. bone) associated with an injury. These tissues may traditionally be left to heal without support, wrapped with a cable, or drilled through then supported with a wire or pin. Traditional methods may result in periosteal stripping and neurovascular injury resulting from placement of the wire. Also, traditional wires and pins are typically smooth and straight thereby providing limited compression across and access to the fracture. Traditional techniques may be unable to capture soft and hard tissue fragments.
In addition, traditional devices and methods do not secure articular surface fragments. The articular surface must move relative to the adjacent tissues, so a traditional fixation device grabbing an articular surface fragment risks damage to the articular cartilage and the bone on the opposing side of the joint. For example, if the humeral articular surface is damaged, traditional methods do not provide a consistent way to repair the humeral articular cartilage back to its normal size and position. More rigid fixation may damage the glenoid of the articular surface on the opposing side of the joint as the shoulder moves through its range of motion. Traditional techniques are unsuitable for articular surfaces.
There exists a need for a system to repair and secure soft tissue fragments (i.e. muscle, tendon, ligament, and/or articular cartilage) along with hard tissue fragments (i.e. bone). Furthermore, there is a need for a system to repair traditionally unsecured soft tissue fragments thereby stabilizing soft and hard tissue fragments together as a unit. The fixation systems disclosed herein, for example deformable, suture material, and/or mesh fasteners, may secure hard and soft tissue fragments to another device (i.e. plate, screw, and rod), for example, to increase stability. The systems herein may allow capture of a hard tissue fragment (i.e. bone) of a fracture and closure the fracture with a desired compression. This may promote improved tissue healing and/or alleviate issues associated with traditional fixation systems. The systems disclosed herein may be a unitary or standalone solution or be coupled with plates, rods, screws, cables, pins, wires, and/or any traditional system.